three poems

by Erin Owens

Shrapnel

I remember the time-
tension thundering, 
walls shrieking.

Dad plunged his fists 
into the jar of loose pennies 
and launched them 
at Mum’s head. 

They scattered like bullets- 
copper shrapnel
from an improvised explosive. 
The screams reverberated, 
a war with no victory.

Now I wonder 
if the new owners notice 
the perfectly round impressions
of coins decorating 
the dining room wall-
or why they are living 
with the ghosts of people 
who are not dead.

Conker Season

I came across a conker,
split it open-
inside, a galaxy pulsed.
To my surprise,
the pavement glittered
with abandoned worlds,
whole and scattered,
like forgotten marbles.

I gathered what I could,
pockets swelling with stars,
and carried them home.
There, I laid them gently,
fed them scraps of light,
asked them questions—
tiny oracles humming
answers in constellations.

I was seven
when my mother disappeared
from Asda.

Panic lodged in my throat
that day—
as if I had swallowed
a seashell.
Scratching at my neck
among the humming refrigerators,
she slipped away
like a loose ribbon
falling through careless fingers.

I ran—feet flailing—
through the tills,
as if the loss of a mother
were just another item
passing through.

Me, screaming
from helplessness;
Dad blaring,
screaming from rage.
But I wasn’t screaming
because I wanted her back.

You see—
the people around us
changed
like traffic lights.
Some stopped
to watch the spectacle;
some hurried on
as she spat,
“I don’t want her.
I wish she’d run away.”

I folded myself
into the bus stop,
in case anyone saw
the child unworthy
of a mother’s love.

Even now, I dream
that she kept walking—
kept walking
and never
turned back.

Photo of Erin Owens

BIO: Erin Owens is a contemporary poet based in Cheshire, UK. With a background in English Literature and a deep command of language, her work explores the often-unspoken spaces of human experience. Drawing from personal history, Erin’s poetry gives voice to complex themes such as trauma, motherhood, and social disquiet, offering readers a compelling lens into emotional and psychological realities. She has been published with The Poetry Lighthouse, Cozy Ink Press, and Gather.